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They were winched up by a Sea King helicopter co-piloted by Prince William, who works at RAF Valley in north Wales, the Ministry of Defence said.

Another crew member was found in the water later in the morning but has been confirmed dead, said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Confirming Prince William’s participation in the overnight operation, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Duke of Cambridge was a co-pilot on one of the aircraft involved. He is now back at base.”

“There were eight persons on board, all Russians,” coastguard official Ray Carson told the BBC.

The 81-metre (265-foot) vessel, the Swanland, sent out a distress signal around 2:00 am from the Irish Sea when it was hit by a huge wave which ruptured its hull, coastguard officials said.

Speaking from Holyhead in north Wales, Carson said: “The two men recovered from the water were brought here before going to the hospital. I think they are OK and are just suffering from shock.

“In broken English and through drawing a diagram, the second officer told us the ship was hit by an enormous wave. It rolled the ship and it broke its back. He said this led to a catastrophic failure of the vessel.”

Several lifeboats and helicopters continued the search for the missing sailors into Sunday afternoon, officials said.

The ship was owned by a Britain-based company, Torbulk, and was carrying the flag of the Cook Islands, according to shipping websites and media reports.

In August 2010, the Swanland suffered engine failure in high winds and nearly went aground on the rocks off Cornwall in southwest England.